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The second week of the 100 Push Up Challenge has come to an end, which means we are now 1/3 of the way through the program.

6 down, 12 more workouts to go…piece of cake.

Cake? Did someone say cake? Oh wait…we are talking about a fitness challenge here, sorry about that.

As a reminder, it is not too late to join the challenge and throw your name in the hat for the collection of prizes being offered. As long as you begin the program before the deadline and write about it on your blog, while also linking back to the challenge post, you will be eligible to win.

Week Two :: The Program

With the first week more challenging than anticipated, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the second week had me concerned. As you would expect in a progressive program such as this, Week Two kicks things up a notch with more repetitions and higher max requirements:

Day One

• 12 push ups followed by 60 seconds rest
• 12 push ups followed by 60 seconds rest
• 9 push ups followed by 60 seconds rest
• 7 push ups followed by 60 seconds rest
• Max (at least 10 push ups)

Day Two

• 16 push ups followed by 90 seconds rest
• 13 push ups followed by 90 seconds rest
• 11 push ups followed by 90 seconds rest
• 11 push ups followed by 90 seconds rest
• Max (at least 15 push ups)

Day Three

• 15 push ups followed by 120 seconds rest
• 15 push ups followed by 120 seconds rest
• 12 push ups followed by 120 seconds rest
• 12 push ups followed by 120 seconds rest
• Max (at least 15 push ups)

Compared to the first week, each workout required approximately 10 additional repetitions. Not only that but Week Two also calls for an exhaustion test upon completion of the workouts to gauge your progress.

Week Two :: The Results

For those that might not have seen my video, completing the first week of this challenge left me completely chiseled and begging for more.

Well, that might be a little misleading but at least the soreness that was present through much of the first week has disappeared. Each workout leaves me with a renewed sense of energy, as I make progress towards the century mark.

The workout that felt the best to me this week was the Day Two workout, as I breezed through each set and finished the workout with a max of 32 push ups. You’ll recall that my initial test maxed out at 27 repetitions, so there is already been some progress made. The real test will come during the exhaustion test, which unfortunately has not been completed yet as I just finished the third workout tonight.

This time last week, I was writing my recap with wobbly arms and probably sounded like a woman in a Lamaze class as I attempted to catch my breath. Today I am sitting here with a slight tightness in my triceps, which feels great, and an even breathing pattern. That might sound silly after only two weeks but it is amazing how the human body adapts to even the slightest bit of conditioning.

Week Three :: Looking Ahead

Do you remember how I mentioned that the second week called for approximately 10 additional push ups for each workout?

Well…that was nothing!

The Week Three workouts bump up the intensity with roughly 40-50 additional push ups in each workout.

No, there isn’t a smudge on your monitor…I really said 40-50 additional push ups!

At first glance, this seems somewhat daunting. However, as I’ve discovered during the max sets this week, much of your ability to complete a workout is mental. With the proper focus and mentality, you can push your body beyond what you thought was possible. Therefore it is important to approach this next challenge with a positive mindset.

Due to the exhaustion test required after Week Two, I noticed that the third week has adjusted the qualifications for each of the three workout levels. In order to stay in the third column or level, I will need to do more than 25 push ups during the exhaustion test compared with 10 push ups for the first two weeks.

Since I was able to do 27 push ups during my initial test and cranked out 32 during my max set on Day Two, I am confident that I will remain in the third column moving into Week Three.

How did all of you fare during the Week Two workouts?